Lotus Emeishan first drive
Close your eyes and imagine a supercar driving through the Austrian Alps; even before you see its aerodynamic shape, spoiler raised, sun hitting its sharp lines, air intakes and flaming exhaust pipes , you can hear the roar of the engine and the tires squealing around corners. enter lotus Emeya Super GT. This performance-oriented car is all-new and, more importantly, Fully electric. Designboom gets into electric business grand trip From Munich, Germany, to the Austrian Alps, the hills are filled with the sound of electric vehicles: no roar of engines, just the squeal of tires and the excited gasps of drivers, passengers and lucky onlookers.
designboom visits the Lotus Emeya hyper GT for its first drive from Germany to Austria
All images courtesy of Lotus
Lotus Emeya is a new all-electric super GT for british brandknown for its agile, performance-focused two-seater. Now available as a four-door, the Emeya encapsulates 75 years of Lotus DNA in a more modern, greener package. However, its design roots can be traced back to 1980, when founder Colin Chapman made a request to Paolo Martin, a designer best known for his work with Pininfarina. Famous for the Ferrari 512 Modulo and Fiat 130 Coupe, a four-door GT concept car called Lotus made its mark in 2000. Martin’s bold vision – an ultra-stylish sedan – pushed Lotus Group Vice President of Design Ben Payne and his team to go even further.
The GT’s appearance is defined by its “super” proportions, cabin-forward profile and short overhangs
Super posture design
“Hyper-dimensional” proportions are the starting point for Emeya’s design. The low center of gravity is immediately noticeable with its cab-forward silhouette. Short overhangs give the impression of the wheels sitting at the corners, complemented by bold muscular arches reminiscent of Ben Payne’s favorite Lotus 11. The mass is visually reduced due to its darkened “canopy”, but the real triumph is the clean surfaces that emphasize its overall dynamic, continuous and agile design. The only interruption is a series of ducts that allow for optimal airflow and a single line that flows from its sharp front to the rear light edge.
A line flows from its sharp front to the light blade at its rear
Its single lines are reminiscent of Lotus models from the 1980s, reviving the aesthetic of the brand’s early mid-engine designs. It presents a strikingly modern yet distinctly lotus look. An ultra-narrow LED light bar runs across the rear of the car, forming smart taillights that surround the air duct from left to right. There’s a unique twin air wing spoiler on top of the rear.
There are dual air wing spoilers on the top, and ultra-narrow LED light bars extend from one side to the other
Technology and luxury cockpit
Internally, Emeya transforms its outer blade of light into a technological ribbon. LEDs run around the cabin, creating a cocoon for the driver and passengers and delivering key information in sections of the dashboard. A 15.1-inch OLED touchscreen dominates the center console, dubbed the Digital Cockpit. A wide, augmented reality head-up display (HUD) completes the technology-driven cockpit, placing all performance indicators in front of the driver at all times.
LEDs run around Lotus Emeya’s cabin and even display key information on sections of the dashboard
Despite its technological improvements, the interior is unmistakably a driver’s car. All control buttons are ergonomically placed on the steering wheel and are real switches made from high-performance materials for tactile feedback. Knurled metal and exposed carbon fiber are used for other interior touch points, continuing Colin Chapman’s famous passion for weight reduction. Advanced luxury materials have also been chosen for lightness, with luxurious threads crafted from repurposed fibers from the fashion industry.
A 15.1-inch OLED touchscreen dominates the center console and is called the digital cockpit
Lotus electrical performance
hyper GT’s superior technology also extends to driving performance. Its onboard system can complete up to 25 trillion operations in the same time as the human brain recognizes an image (approximately 50 milliseconds). Data from 34 surround sensors is processed 30 times per second, providing 360-degree perception with no blind spots. Four deployable LiDARs (considered the “eyes of the car”, like the pop-up headlights of a classic car) help detect obstacles up to 200m away in all directions, reconstruct the virtual environment and help electronically control the air suspension system Elements such as this provide the most realistic effect possible, as road-feeling as possible.
Knurled metal and exposed carbon fiber are used for other interior contact points to reduce weight
Powered by an 800-volt, 102-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, Lotus Emeya delivers the speed and agility the brand is known for. It accelerates from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of over 155 mph (250 km/h) on German autobahns. For grand travel, connecting to a 350kW DC fast charger can charge from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes. The battery pack is located between the wheels, giving it a low center of gravity that matches its aesthetics and allows it to cruise along mountain roads with ease.
seats feature luxurious threads made from fibers repurposed from the fashion industry
When the Lotus Emeya hyper-GT drives the scenic route from Germany to Austria for the first time, it marks a new chapter for the British brand. The all-electric model pays homage to Lotus’ legendary racing history while announcing a more sustainable technological future. Importantly, its design remains as exciting as ever for drivers, passengers and those lucky onlookers.